


Boxes

by IcarusWings87



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluffy, the gay parfaits strike again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9862121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcarusWings87/pseuds/IcarusWings87
Summary: Nozomi and Eli move in together for the first time.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nozoroomie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nozoroomie/gifts).



> This is a prize fic I wrote for Nozoroomie. She choose the scenario, I just filled in the blanks. Have fun reading it!

“When did we get so much stuff?” Eli mutters to herself in the midst of trying to catch her breath.

She shakes her head stepping around the pile of boxes. She and Nozomi had spent most of the day lugging up the three flights of stairs to their new two bedroom apartment. She’d just finished making the last run of boxes and she can’t remember being this tired since their last intensive μ’s training camp and that had been many years ago. The apartment doesn’t have an elevator either. When they had looked at this apartment, Eli had already ruled it out due to that fact, but Nozomi had urged her to look at it in the end. That had been her downfall. When they had gotten into the apartment and began to look around, Eli couldn’t deny the hopeful look on Nozomi’s face as they took a tour of the little apartment. One look at her expression and all of Eli’s doubt had been erased. If the place made Nozomi happy, how could she say no to it?? The answer was she never could. So, it was with that in mind that she didn’t complain once carrying the boxes up three flights of stairs. It is always worth it if it was for Nozomi. Especially since it is their first apartment together. Eli is just thankful that the moving service had taken care of all of the heavy furniture including their bed, couch, dining room table and dresser. Those things had arrived earlier in day, though they wait for Nozomi and Eli to arrange them properly.

Eli gazes upon the cluttered room and sighs. She had hoped to get everything in order by the end of the day but due to the multiple trips that they had taken to pick up their boxes the day had gotten away from them. Not to mention that Eli is exhausted from lifting and carrying all of their possessions. She slowly concedes to herself that her plan wasn’t going to happen today. She just doesn’t have it in her especially not with having to return to work the next morning.  It would have to wait until another day.

She carefully makes her way over and around the boxes and into the bedroom where she finds Nozomi humming happily as she puts away their clothing. Strands of purple hair fall into Nozomi’s face as she works, having wiggled loose from the bandana she was wearing for moving day. The bandana is one of Eli’s, the light blue color of it stands out against Nozomi skin and hair in a way that makes the Eli’s mood bubble with happiness. They were already blending into each other.

Some time between Eli hauling up the last few boxes and now, Nozomi had managed to maneuver their dresser into a suitable spot on the wall. Nozomi moves freely from putting away the folded clothing to hanging up the rest in the closet, neatly arranging their things separate sides.

Eli watches her girlfriend work. Nozomi already knows how Eli likes to organize her closet. It’s one of her favorite things about her, Eli thinks. Nozomi has always paid attention to the little details especially when it comes to the people she cares about. As Eli moves from her spot against the doorframe she notes how easy being together in the apartment already feels. They’ve lived together for less than a day if you include the physical labor of moving but it already feels like a lifetime. It’s natural. And it’s also very natural as she steps behind Nozomi and wraps her arms around her waist from behind.

This earns a happy hum from her girlfriend as she leans back into Eli, never stopping what she’s doing.

“Hey,” Nozomi says, her tone hushed as if sharing a splendid secret. But it’s just the two of them.

“Hey,” parrots Eli, kissing Nozomi’s neck. Her grip tightens and she sways in place with Nozomi. “We did it.”

Nozomi turns her head and places a kiss on Eli’s cheek. “We did. It’s all ours.”

Eli’s face splits wide with a grin as she nuzzles into Nozomi’s neck. “Welcome home.”

Nozomi’s heartbeat quickens as she hears Eli whisper against her skin. She’s never felt this happy before. She’s never felt so at home before. But that’s the effect Eli has on her. Eli is her home. The physical apartment only makes it outwardly official.

She turns in Eli’s arms, her task forgotten, quietly pulling Eli tightly against her. Eli can tell Nozomi doesn’t have the words for what she is feeling but Eli is certain that she is happy. They stay like that for several minutes.

“It’s getting late. We should get something to eat.” Eli finally says, pulling only a few inches away to look at Nozomi properly. “Your choice. I’ll buy whatever you want for dinner.” Eli places a kiss on Nozomi’s forehead.

Another contented hum escapes from Nozomi’s lips, her eyes shut as she savors the moment. “Something simple. Something fast. Maybe noodles from the thai place. We still have a lot of things to put away.”

“That can wait,” Eli says. “We can set up the bed after dinner and then rest for tonight.” She steps away and heads towards the kitchen. “I’m exhausted and I’ve got to be back at work early in the morning.”

Eli’s already headed to find her bag with the takeout menus inside of it so she doesn’t see disappointment flash across Nozomi’s face. Her expression changes quickly into a smile as she catches herself and she nods even though Eli can’t see her.

“Okay. I’ll finish with our clothing and unpack the bath items so you can relax in some hot water after dinner.”

“Only if you join me.” Eli winks back at her, making her heart flutter again.

Nozomi will never get used to that feeling, she thinks. And the blush on Nozomi’s face is the only answer Eli needs and she smiles, satisfied.

“You’ll order?” Nozomi manages to ask, clearing her throat as Eli leaves the room.

“Yep! I got it---” Eli says but she’s interrupts herself as she trips over a box. But from the sound of it she caught herself before she fell headlong into the wall. A small string of Russian curse words reaches Nozomi’s ears from the kitchen before Eli is able to regain her composure.

“Careful!” Nozomi calls out, stifling a laugh.

Eli’s pride gets in the way and she pretends nothing happened.

“The usual?” Eli asks, her voice echoing off the kitchen tiles as she flips through the to-go menu. They have the menu memorized but Nozomi knows that Eli insists on double checking it every  single time.

“Yes, please! No bell peppers!” she calls before turning back to the project at hand.

“Got it!” Eli says as she picks up her phone to place the order.

\---

With a full stomach and a freshly setup and made bed, Eli had no trouble falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and her arms were wrapped around Nozomi’s waist as they spoon. It had been a long day and her muscles were sore so this was no surprise to either of them. Nozomi, on the other hand, finds herself unable to sleep even with Eli’s body pressed warmly against her.

She sighs quietly, her eyes focusing on the clock nearby. It’s 2 A.M. and she still can’t sleep. She’s tired but her mind is far too awake to consider resting as an option. She’s excited to be in their new apartment together. It’s been a long time coming but Nozomi can say that she lives with the person she loves the most. She is home and that makes all of the excitement inside her overflow like rainwater in an already full bucket.

She wants to be working on setting up their apartment but the move had taken a lot longer than she had anticipated due to travel time and not being able to fit all of the boxes in the moving truck causing them to make multiple trips. Nozomi had figured that the move would take a few hours at most and then they would have the rest of the day to set up their new living space. But that wasn’t the case. So, as she lays there the thought of all of the pile of unopened boxes in the living room makes her fingers itch, longing to put everything away in its proper place.

She wants everything in place already so that she and Eli can start enjoying their new life together as soon as possible. But she couldn’t be mad at Eli for being tired. The blonde needs to be at work early as well so she hadn’t said anything to make her feel guilty. Instead she had conceded to finishing unpacking the essentials that night before eating dinner and then going to bed right after their bath. It wasn’t a bad ending to the day, it just wasn’t the one she wanted.

Shifting around in Eli’s arms, Nozomi looks upon her sleeping face which is illuminated by the small lamp on top of their dresser. The nightlight creates a pleasant glow on Eli’s face and hair, making her seem even more angelic than usual. She feels Eli’s grip tighten around her waist as she shifts but the act is subconscious. The blonde is unlikely to wake up any time soon. Nozomi suppresses a giggle at how soundly she is able to sleep and plants a soft kiss on her nose, causing another gentle shift in the blonde’s position. A quiet murmur of Nozomi’s name escapes Eli’s lips and it catches Nozomi off guard in a way that makes her kiss her again, this time lingering just a little too long that makes Nozomi worry that she might have actually woken her up. But that proves to be untrue as Eli cuddles deeper into her under the blankets. It’s warm and happy. Nozomi feels their chests rise and fall in time with one another. Eli’s breathing threatening to pull her into slumber with her as another ten minutes passes. But her restlessness wins out in the end. She remains awake.

As Eli settles back into a deep slumber, Nozomi continues to watch her, her head still full of thoughts. She knows Eli works hard (too hard sometimes but that’s just in her nature) and Eli has a long day ahead of her tomorrow. When she comes home, she’ll have to deal with unpacking the boxes and moving furniture around with Nozomi and that won’t make the stress any easier on her. Nozomi frowns and decides that she should do something about that. The one thing she can do since she can’t sleep anyhow. She wants their beginning together to be perfect.

She slips herself carefully out of Eli’s grasp and inches her way out of bed. Eli stirs lightly, obviously missing Nozomi in her arms. Panicking, Nozomi looks for a way to keep Eli asleep. She finds it, grabbing her own pillow and easing it into Eli’s waiting arms. Immediately the blonde grasps onto it and pulls it to her tightly. Another murmur of Nozomi’s name and a gentle nuzzle into the pillow causes Nozomi to stifle another laugh as she shakes her head. Her girlfriend was the cutest, especially when she was sleeping.

Now free of the obligation of laying in bed and pretending to try to sleep, Nozomi tiptoes into the living room and shuts the door silently behind her.

\---

The sharp buzzing of the alarm causes Eli to stir from unconsciousness. She lets out a groan of annoyance as she tries to open her eyes to no avail. She maneuvers blindly towards the sound that has woken her from a peaceful sleep. Six in the morning always comes earlier than she wants and right now she can feel every single ache and pain in her body.

Rolling more to her right, she extends her arm and slams the snooze button on the clock, shutting off its incessant wailing. Relieved at the silence, she settles back down into the bed thinking that five more minutes of snuggling with Nozomi won’t hurt. But as she scoots closer to where her girlfriend should be she finds herself snuggled against a pillow instead of Nozomi’s soft skin. She lets out another small grunt of annoyance and finally manages to open her eyes. At first the sight is blurred but soon becomes clears to as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes with the back of her hand.

Even without her contacts in, she can see that Nozomi isn’t in bed. Eli pushes herself into a sitting position and looks towards the bathroom. The light isn’t on, so she wonders where Nozomi has gone. Throwing back the blanket, Eli scoots to the edge of the bed just in time for the alarm to blare the sound of its people once more effectively scaring Eli out of her skin. She turns it off, much more awake now, and curses its existence. But that was a fight she had every morning. For now she needs to find Nozomi.

‘Maybe she’s making coffee,’ Eli thinks hopefully, but she can’t detect any sign of the smell of coffee in the air. And the apartment is small enough that she would know if that were the case.

Finding her slippers, Eli groggily slogs out of the bedroom.

“No-zouh-mi?” Eli yawns as she calls out.

There is no answer and Eli frowns. If Nozomi were up surely she would answer. She shuffles out of the hallway, noticing that the light is on in the living room.

“Non-tan?” Eli tries once more but stops in her tracks as she makes her way into the room. She blinks, rubs her eyes and blinks again. She is stunned.

The sight in front of Eli leaves her speechless for several moments. The piles of moving boxes that she left in the living room the night before are almost entirely gone. Instead, their contents have been sorted and placed in their proper places on the coffee table and the bookshelves and in the kitchen. But it’s not just the small items. The furniture has been pushed into place as well. The couch against the interior wall, the TV cabinet against the far wall by the window, the bookshelves neatly arranged along the last wall. Eli remains stunned as she looks over everything.

She walks towards the kitchen. Many of the dishes have been put away in here as well. The cupboards are fully organized and it’s close to being done but a few boxes remain next to the pantry that need to be sorted. Looking around at the rooms, she realizes that not everything is done. The pictures and shelves aren’t hung up yet but if she were to guess they were now seventy five percent setup. And she didn’t hear a sound of it happening the night before. She must have really been tired. There was only one person who could have done all of this.

“Nozomi,” she breathes quietly. Had she really done all this while Eli was sleeping?

Eli shakes her head and moves back towards the living room. At first look she had only seen the remainder of the boxes organized against the window and the furniture set into place but looking in now she can see a messy tuft of purple hair sticking up over the edge of one of the boxes in the corner.

Moving closer, Eli smiles in amazement. There’s Nozomi, sound asleep, and head resting atop of the box she had been in the middle of unpacking. Eli kneels down next to her.

“You did all this for me, didn’t you?” Eli whispers against Nozomi’s hair as she places a soft kiss there. “You shouldn’t push yourself too hard, you know that?”

As Eli speaks, Nozomi rouses from her slumber, her face rubbing against her the crook of her arm. She turns and she looks at Eli. Her eyes fluttering open in surprise.

“Eli?”

“Morning, sleepyhead. I see you’ve been busy.” Eli smirks and runs her fingers carefully through Nozomi’s loose locks of hair. She loves it when Nozomi wore her hair down.

Stretching, Nozomi gingerly sits up. Her back complaining as she moves but she doesn’t say anything to Eli.

“I juh--,” she yawns. “I just wanted to get a few things done. I couldn’t sleep,” she says, sheepishly. Though there is still sleep that lingers in her expression. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Eli shakes her head. “I got up with my alarm. And when I noticed you weren’t in bed I came looking for you.”

“Sorry,” Nozomi says, moving to quickly close the flaps of the box she had been working on. And though she tries to hide it, Eli can tell she is exhausted. “I can cook breakfast for you to make up for that.” When she wobbles to her feet, Eli stands with her.

“No, I’ll manage,” Eli wraps Nozomi into a tight embrace and kisses her properly. “And you need to sleep. You’re dead on your feet, Non-tan.”

“I’m not tired,” Nozomi struggles to say through another yawn. Eli chuckles and tucks Nozomi’s head under her chin. She sways lightly with her and rubs a few small circles on her back.

“You’re also a horrible liar.” Eli scolds, but it is all an act. She doesn’t think she could be happier at the moment.

Eli bends and places an arm under Nozomi’s knees and one behind her shoulders, lifting her into a bridal carry. “C’mon, let’s get you to bed.”

She feels Nozomi’s arms slip automatically around her neck, holding on as Eli walks them back towards the bedroom. She can feel Nozomi’s heart beat quietly against her so she plants another kiss on the crown of her head.

“Thank you for working so hard to set things up, but we could have done it together.” Eli comments as she nudges the bedroom door open with her foot.

“Mmm.” Nozomi hums noncommittally, her head laying against Eli’s shoulder as she carries her. Her eyes are half lidded with sleep. “I don’t mind.”

“I know you don’t,” Eli mumbles as she lays Nozomi’s down into the soft blankets of their bed. “But you don’t have to do everything by yourself. I’m here now, okay?”

Nozomi’s eyes widen, her gaze flickering from left to right, taking in Eli’s expression, searching for any sign that Eli might be lying to her; as if she can’t believe that Eli would mean what she is saying. It’s an old habit that Nozomi has gotten better at but still hasn’t kicked. But when she finds no sign of untruth, Nozomi sighs softly, relieved. Her eyes, Eli thinks, are a little more watery than before and she can’t help but worry for a moment thinking she might cry. But the happy expression Nozomi wears when she pulls Eli closer to her removes all doubts.

Nozomi basks in Eli’s warmth for several long minutes before letting go. When Eli pulls away she touches her forehead to Nozomi’s.

“I’ve got to get ready for work. But get some sleep, okay?” Eli whispers, then kisses her tenderly on the lips.

Nozomi nods and settles back into the sheets. Eli pulls their comforter over Nozomi and tucks her in as carefully as if she were handling a precious gem. Once Eli is certain that Nozomi is sleeping, she tiptoes to the dresser and begins to put on her clothing for the day.

\---

Half an hour later, Eli is wandering around their living room, coffee mug in hand. The strong brew is laced with cream and sugar, making it perfect for her sweet tooth. As she prepares to leave for work she looks over the remaining boxes. Her initial thought wondering about when they acquired so much stuff still sticks with her from the day before. Nozomi had managed to put away a lot  of it but a significant pile still needs to be sorted.

Her gaze travels lazily over the stack against the far wall as she savors the last sip of her caffeine. It’s then that she notices something odd as she lingers at the sink, rinsing out her cup and setting it into the basin. She wipes her hands off on the lone hand towel that has made it out of the kitchen boxes and then heads into the living room proper.

All the boxes are labeled in the same neat handwriting. But that’s not what has drawn Eli’s attention. She moves from box to box reading the name of the owner of the boxes.

Eli’s books. Eli’s movies. Eli’s decorations. Eli. Eli. All _Eli._

She scans the living room. Surely, not all of these are hers. They can’t be. Eli remembers going to Nozomi’s place and helping her move things into the car. She searches her thoughts. The morning before had started at Nozomi’s place, the stop only taking a half an hour. Eli remembers this vividly because the rapidness of the loading of boxes had given her false expectations for how the rest of the day would go. So, there have to be boxes that belong to Nozomi in here.

She goes over each box until she finds some that belong to Nozomi. Finally, Eli comes across three boxes near the sliding door to the balcony, each stacked neatly next to one another. It’s odd to Eli that there are so few of them but she guessed that since Nozomi was always moving around as a child she hadn’t kept many belongs. Well, at least Eli can take comfort in knowing that will change now that they have moved in together.

The box at the end has one of its flaps open making Eli remember that this is the box that Nozomi had fallen asleep on top of. Eyeing her watch, she can see that she has a few minutes to spare so she decides to help Nozomi unpack her things a little bit before she goes to work just as Nozomi had done for her.

Kneeling next to this box, she lifts the other flap just after reading its label: Nozomi’s things - _Decorations and Miscellaneous._

She decides this is a good place to start.

As she goes through the items in the box, unpacking each one, she isn’t disappointed by what she finds there. Inside are several items Eli remembers from Nozomi’s apartment. Nozomi’s fondness for cute things or odd trinkets is well known by their whole friend group. Her old apartment had been covered in them; she even owned a pig-shaped tea kettle. And she isn’t disappointed as she goes through the top layer of stuff: a battery operated happy faced flower that dances in its pot, a handful of animal figurines wearing funny hats, the floral table runners and placemats for Nozomi’s table set.

But underneath the other things, Eli finds a small, worn fox plushie; it’s fur a dingy red color from the passage of time. It’s clearly been well loved. Eli smiles as she turns it over in her hand, remembering exactly when she had given it to Nozomi. Their last year at Otonokizaka had been a memorable one for many reasons. But this memory came from the time that the student council, new and old, had worked for weeks to organize an end of the year carnival for the entire school. In between performing and organizing the event, Nozomi and Eli had been able to make the rounds to each booth and game provided by the different classes.

It was at the ring toss booth that Nozomi had caught sight of the little fox plushie. Eli remembers how Nozomi’s eyes had lit up when she had spotted it hanging above the booth with the other prizes. The happy memory floods Eli’s senses as she recalls how Nozomi had downplayed her desire for the prize even when Eli had asked about her interest in it. Nozomi had insisted that she didn’t need it but Eli knew her girlfriend better than that. Eli had snuck off back to the booth later in the day to win it for her. The smile on Nozomi’s face when she had given it too her had been one of the best things Eli had seen. Then again anytime Nozomi smiles is Eli’s favorite moment.

Gripping the little plushie tightly in her hands, Eli takes a moment before setting it gently aside. She looks back down into the large box, only to see a smaller wooden box where the little fox had been sitting. Eli lifts the box from its place.

The box is latched shut and on the side in bright purple paint the word ‘Keepsakes’ has been written in childlike letters. Eli examines the box a bit more. She thinks that it must be an item that Nozomi has had since she was a child, but she can’t remember seeing anything like this box in Nozomi’s apartment before. It’s definitely a mystery as Eli runs her fingers along the box and to the latch. Perhaps she shouldn’t look inside...

It takes a few moments but Eli’s curiosity gets the better of her. She flips the latch into an upright position and opens the little box.

The inside of the box is stuffed full of things. Ontop, a folder full of papers covered in doodles. She squints at them, trying to figure out why this miscellaneous collection of papers would be something that Nozomi had saved. But a few turns of the hamster wheel in Eli’s not quite awake yet brain later finally turns up the answer she seeks. She turns over each paper one by one. These are old student council letters and forms, ones that had been discarded due to having mistakes on them or for being improperly made copies, but Eli knows that isn’t why they are special. It was because they were from two years as student council president with Nozomi by her side. Each note and doodle on these papers are something that she and Nozomi had shared during those long hours in the student council room. Nozomi would pause in her duties long enough to draw a small stick figure or animal before nudging the paper close to Eli as they worked. Eli would look up, skeptical, but then sigh and move the paper to her and draw an addition of her own; a overly neat squiggle to counter Nozomi’s whimsical style. She’d push the paper back to Nozomi and then go back to her work. It was their routine. The smile remains on Eli’s face as she continues to dig.

Quickly, Eli discovers that this box is full of memories that Nozomi and her have shared.

There is a dried Sakura flower from Eli and Nozomi’s first flower viewing together that has been pressed into a small book of poetry from their first year English literature class.

There is a ticket stub from a really cheesy romantic comedy that they had gone to see in the theatre. It had been a terrible movie that neither of them had liked, but it had been the first movie they had seen together. And Nozomi had kept it along with every other movie stub from their years of going.

There is the receipt from the first time they had gone to get parfaits together. It showed that not much had changed over the years - Eli had gotten the triple chocolate delight while Nozomi favored a strawberry surprise.

There is a string of photos from the first time that the two girls had gone shopping in Akihabara one day after school. They’d stopped at a photobooth at Nozomi’s insistence saying they needed to commemorate the day. Eli had been quite reluctant, still unsure of her new friendship with the purple haired girl. That much is clear as Eli sees her own hesitant expression in the first of the four photos but as each photo was taken she relaxed into the arm Nozomi had thrown around her shoulder in the booth. By the time, the third photo had been taken Eli was smiling softly at Nozomi’s brilliant expression next to her. Nozomi looked so happy, Eli had thought so that day too. By the fourth picture, Eli had squeezed herself close to Nozomi, both girls smiling happily into the camera. The fond memory makes Eli not want to let go of the strip of photos but she sets it aside in the end.

At the bottom of the box sits a small purple notebook. Eli recognizes it instantly, from the hand bound spine to the little decorative Matryoshka dolls on the front of it. She’d brought it back for Nozomi from Russia. It had been their first long holiday away from one another during school. She’d felt bad about leaving Nozomi alone for the holidays and even though she’d called her every chance she had gotten, she had still brought back the little present for her. Eli had seen it in a market stall and thought that Nozomi would love the color. She had been right in the end, Nozomi had loved it, clutching the notebook to her when Eli had given it. There had been hugs and a promise to cherish it forever.

Eli laughs at that memory of the enthusiastic hug that had followed that moment and she gentle pries open the cover of the notebook to look inside. She had always wondered what had become of the little notebook. Nozomi had never used it. Or so she thought.

The notebook is blank except for two things. The first is the entry inside the cover where Nozomi’s name is written under the ‘property of’ section. The second catches Eli completely off guard. Only one page in the notebook has been filled out. Neatly written on the first page of the book is a list of things Nozomi has put there.

It reads: _‘Things I want to do with Eli’_

She reads the list quietly aloud, each item had a check next to it marking it complete. Eli’s heart swell with affection for the woman who wrote them.

“Walk home from school together, Go to a movie, Eat parfaits at the new shop near the station, Become Eli’s vice president on the student council, make Eli smile more, see Eli dance, Join U’s together, Hold Eli’s hand at least once, graduate high school, find a college where Eli will be going, be friends with Eli forever,” The things that round out the list seemed to be small but important to Nozomi. Their first date was marked on the list and so was their first kiss. Eli’s face heats up as she reads this item. She had always had feelings for Nozomi but she didn’t realize how Nozomi felt about her until they were halfway through their senior year of highschool. And now they are looking at spending the rest of their lives together. Moving into this apartment is only the first step on that path.

As Eli closes the notebook, she feels overwhelmed by what she has seen in the box. She’s so full of love for the woman she has chosen to share her life with that she can barely contain that feeling within herself. She places all of the items back in the little box as she checks the clock on the wall. She needs to leave for work soon. But as she considers getting into her car she looks around the apartment. There is still a lot to do and set up. The thought of spending anywhere other than the day anywhere but at home with Nozomi is unappealing. She sets down the things in her hands back down in the box. Standing, she goes over to her bag and pulls out her phone and slips on her shoes. With one glimpse over her shoulder as she waits for the call to connect, she grabs her keys before slipping out the front door.

“Hello, Yamada-san, this is Ayase Eli. I am unable to come into work today...”

\---

The shifting rays of the sun settle across Nozomi’s face causing her to stir. She shifts and stretches, moving easily and feeling rested. She sits up and sleepily looks to the clock on the bedside table. It’s a little after ten thirty. Nozomi really should get out of bed, she thinks.

She slides her legs out from the covers and onto the floor. Her feet quickly learn the feel of the carpet - a luxury feature of this apartment that she had loved - and she makes her way towards the living room. As she reaches the door she is caught off guard by the smell of food wafting through the air.

She sniffs again, making sure that her mind and empty stomach aren’t playing a cruel prank on her but after a moment, she’s certain that she is actually smelling food.

“Maybe one of the neighbors is making lunch,” Nozomi murmurs, reaching for the door handle.

In the hall, she quirks a curious brow.

“Definitely not the neighbors,” she says, sniffing again.

The smell is coming from inside her kitchen. Did Eli leave something on the stove this morning when she went to work? Nozomi panics at that thought, knowing that it is a high possibility. A sleepy Eli was a forgetful one. As she hurried her footsteps she could only hope that nothing in the kitchen had caught on fir---.

She stops in her tracks, mouth agape as she spots Eli, wearing old around-the-house clothing and an apron standing in the kitchen over the stove. She is working with tongs in her hand as she uses their grill pan to finish off two pieces of chicken.

“Why aren’t you at work?” Nozomi blurts out before she can stop herself.

Eli spins around quickly, surprised by the sudden appearance of her girlfriend. The surprise fades quickly into a bright, beaming smile.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Eli says, her voice a bastion of sing-song playfulness.

“Good morning,” Nozomi murmurs. She can’t help but smile back, even if she is still confused.

Eli has gone back to turning the meat on the stove. Nozomi’s gaze falls upon a bowl of salad and a few other items on the counter that Eli has apparently taken the time to prepare. Moving into the kitchen proper, Nozomi continues to peer around. The kitchen has been fully set up. Nozomi’s adorable pig tea kettle even adorns the back burner of the stove where Nozomi normally kept it when not in use.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Nozomi comments, wrapping her arms around Eli’s waist.

“I took the day off,” Eli says simply as she leans back into Nozomi and kisses her with the side of her mouth, never taking her eyes off of the last of their lunch in front of her.

“How come?” Nozomi asks, perplexed, though, she is happy to see her still in the apartment.

“Because I wanted to.” Eli smirks, turning off the heat from the pan and setting the meat aside to rest. She turns around to look at Nozomi and kisses her properly this time. “And I wanted to spend the day with you, setting up our apartment. Is that a crime?”

Nozomi smiles, shaking her head.

“Good,” Eli pokes Nozomi on the nose with her finger. “Now, go sit at the table. Lunch is almost ready.

Nozomi nods and pads over to the living area. It’s more of a dining room/kitchen nook, but it is still very cute by Nozomi’s standards. As she approaches the table (that Eli had set up while she was sleeping), Nozomi notices something strange between their plates. A medium sized wooden box that looked oddly familiar. Her eyes went wide as she recognizes the familiar handwriting of ‘Keepsakes’ on the side of it. She lets her fingers roam over the box, doing her best to keep them from trembling.

“Eli...” her voice isn’t very calm. It is a bit worried. Had Eli looked inside. “What’s this?”

“What do you think it is?” Eli says, bringing the bowl of salad to the table and setting it down to the side of the box. “It’s yours, silly.”

Nozomi nods, but it is a few more minutes before she speaks again. Eli had to have looked inside. There is no other reason for it to be the center of attention on the table like it is currently. “What is it doing on the table, though?”

“Well...” Eli breathes out quietly. “I found it after I put you to bed. And I sort of looked inside.”

“Oh..” She swallows the lump in her throat. She doesn’t know what there is to say. What if Eli was mad? She freezes in place before she can find her mental footing. “I didn’t mean for you to see that stuff. It’s just that I like--”

Nozomi is interrupted by Eli embracing her from behind. “None of that.” Eli whispers against her ear. “I’m not mad, nor am I upset. You’re wonderful. And all of these memories you kept are wonderful.” She kisses the nape of Nozomi’s neck and rests against her. “It’s our story in that box.”

The tears prickle at the edge of Nozomi’s vision. She feels the wetness on her cheeks as she leans into Eli’s torso. She runs her fingers on the edges of the box once more. “Y-you don’t think it’s weird?”

Eli shakes her head against Nozomi’s skin. “No, I think it’s very much you. And I love you.”

“I don’t deserve you...” Nozomi breathes, choking back a sob. Eli holds her tightly until she’s calm once more. When the silence has gone on too long, Eli nudges Nozomi.

“Lunch is getting cold,” she retracts her arms from around her waist. “Have a seat and I’ll bring the rest over.”

As Eli returns to the kitchen, Nozomi finds her seat and clutches the box in her lap. She watches as Eli smiles and finishes plating their food and she can’t help but feel the warmth in her chest rise even further. Looking down at the box, she eases the top open, wanting to remember once more everything they’ve built together.

Much to her surprise, the notebook Eli gave her so long ago is sitting on top. She lifts and opens it to the page she knows like the back of her hand. But as she lets her line of sight follow the familiar column of checked off things she had wanted to do with Eli, she notices that something has been added to the list. At the very bottom, in neat letters that she could recognize in her sleep, is a new item, it’s box has been checked neatly like the others.

Move in with Eli

She feels the happy tears beginning to fall once more as she hears Eli sit across from her, a plate of food having been set in front of her.

“Eli, I---” Nozomi chokes on her happiness but Eli isn’t too worry. She smiles reassuringly before nodding to the box once.

“I couldn’t help myself. But there is more. Look.” Eli says quietly, hoping she hasn’t overstepped her position as girlfriend.

Nozomi sets the notebook in her hands to the side to see something new has been placed underneath it. She picks up a new notebook. It’s still purple, that much hasn’t changed. But this time it’s decorated with a cute landscape of shrines and tori gates. Nozomi smiles, knowing that Eli always remembers her fondness for spiritual places. She runs her hand over the cover before opening the cover. The pages are crisp and new. But there is writing on the first page. A new list.

“I made a list of my own...” Eli begins saying, but Nozomi’s eyes never leave the page. “We can add more to it, together but I wanted to start it.”

Nozomi’s lip trembles as she reads the list aloud, hoping she wasn’t dreaming.

“1. Set up the new apartment together. 2. Buy a coat rack.” Nozomi chuckles as she reads that one. “3.Go on an anniversary date next week.” Nozomi can’t help but smile even brighter and she looks up at Eli. “You remembered.”

Eli nods in that ‘how could I forget?’ sort of way. Nozomi looks back at the page and reads the last item Eli has written there.

“4. Grow old together.”

Nozomi is speechless.

“I know it’s short,” Eli says too quickly, worried. “But I know we’ll think of things to add, we’ve got forev---”

Eli is cut off by Nozomi throwing herself across the table and into Eli’s lap, her arms wrapped tightly around Eli’s neck. She’s kissing her like she’s never kissed her before, but it’s more than passion. It’s pure love, unconditional and unapologetic love. Eli’s hands go to Nozomi’s waist and hold her in place as she returns the kiss, hoping that she is able to say everything she wants to Nozomi with using anymore words.

When they finally need to come up for air, Nozomi presses her forehead against Eli’s.

“I take it you liked the new notebook?” Eli asks as she ghosts her lips across the corner of Nozomi’s mouth once more.

“I loved it.” Nozomi breathes, closing her eyes. “I love you more, though.”

Eli smiles and pulls her closer. “To growing old together.”

“To our future.”


End file.
